Agent Max Eisenbud relieved Maria Sharapova maiden major wasn't in social media era: "Emma Raducanu couldn't catch her breath"
WTA
Winning her maiden major title at 2004 Wimbledon before the dawn of social media, Maria Sharapova didn't taste criticism quite like other players when she defeated Serena Williams. Agent Max Eisenbud was asked to compare her triumph to that of Emma Raducanu.
Back in 2004, Sharapova defeated Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4 in the final and despite the Russian already being established unlike Raducanu before she got over the line, it was still both maiden Grand Slam triumphs and one that has seen Raducanu in particular since getting ridicule and also her every move scrutinized. Eisenbud said that with Sharapova they could take stock while with Raducanu, she couldn't catch her breath.
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"Twenty years this year that she (Maria Sharapova) won Wimbledon. Her life changed obviously and my life changed. So, she went into that tournament seeded 13th at 17 years old, so it wasn't like an Emma Raducanu that came out of nowhere," he said.
"I don't think people thought she was going to win Wimbledon, but, you know, a couple weeks before she got to the quarterfinals of the French, the year before she got to the Round of 16 of Wimbledon. So, our mindset as the agent was like something big is going to happen and we're getting a lot of offers but we're going to stay patient," he added.
"Boom, then she wins and just everything changes. I mean, thank God there was no social media then. People always ask me to compare Sharapova winning to Emma," he said.
"I mean, Emma won [US Open 2021] during this social media world which was crazy. Information was going so fast. Emma just couldn't catch her breath. Things were flying so fast. At least when Maria won, you could kind of catch your breath a little bit, you can put things in order and everything,"
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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